Month: December 2020

Thoughts on TO FETCH A FELON

~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Howdy, howdy! It’s the last Wednesday of 2020. Just a couple of more days and we’ll get to see what fresh new hell 2021 can rain down upon us! I mean… 2021 will be better? I don’t know what you want to hear. But yeah, 2021 is coming. Before that, let’s squeeze in one last book review. This month I decided to request the first book in a cute new cozy series, A Chatty Corgi mystery series. Jennifer Hawkins’s To Fetch a Felon was released yesterday (December 29th) from the Berkley Publishing Group. As usual, I must thank them and NetGalley for access to an ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Let’s get on with it!

Cute cover. And actually has stuff in common with the story.

To Fetch a Felon follows Emma and Oliver, her corgi, as they move from a fast paced city life in London to a small village life full of nosy neighbors and drama in Trevena. The goal? To start a tea shop complete with homemade treats. The problem? The village witch (read that with a b instead of w) owns the shop Emma really wants to rent, along with most of the rest of the village. After a brief altercation over Oliver getting in the woman’s garden, Emma loses hope of getting the space unless she can smooth things over with the woman. The bigger problem? Emma and Oliver find the woman dead when bringing her some reconciliation scones. Now, Emma feels compelled to help solve the murder with the assistance of Oliver’s superior sense of smell. It helps that he can tell her everything he knows (yes, she and Oliver can understand each other), but sometimes she has to interpret his doggy views of the world, which can be tricky. But together they can take on any case!

I admit that I’m a sucker for stories with cute puppers, so I was excited to dig into this one. The plot was nice and twisty, adding new layers every few chapters. Every time I figured things out, a new puzzle popped up. That helped keep me invested even when no one in the story had put things together. Whenever things started dragging, something new happened. The inclusion of the decades old disappearance subplot was nice as well. I also enjoyed that we got to see some of the story from Oliver’s point of view. Those were probably the chapters I enjoyed the most.

The butt waggle!

As far as the characters go, I loved most of them. Emma was interesting and well rounded, but I kept reading her as younger than she’s supposed to be. I don’t really know why. It’s probably just me, so I’ll just say she’s young at heart. Oliver was completely adorable. He deserves all the cuddles. I felt like Taite was too obviously a greedy, sneaky dick. I had zero attachment to him and certainly no sympathy. But I liked Victoria (the village witch). She didn’t get a chance to grow as a character, but the snippets from her past made her likeable in the end. Louise and Jimmy and the rest of the characters were also intriguing people. And the other animals were great as well.

Stairs are hard for short legs.

The writing was smooth and made for a quick read. It’s a relatively short book that’s broken down into 53 chapters. I actually prefer this to longer chapters because it’s easier to find a stopping point for the night (or to squeeze in just one more chapter). But there was a nice balance between description and dialogue that made the reading experience pretty pleasant.

Ultimately, I really enjoyed To Fetch a Felon. I’ll definitely be getting the second book in this series when it comes out next year. Have to get my cute pupper fix somehow and what’s better than reading about an excitable little corgi?

starstarstarstarstar outline

Overall, I gave it 4 out of 5 stars. Some of it’s a little predictable, but it’s fun and full of adorableness. If you’re looking for a quick cozy with cuddly animals, I definitely recommend checking this one out.

Dad’s Room!

~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Hello, hello! How is everyone doing today? Things are pretty good here. This week, I’m just writing a short post with lots of pictures to brag about Dad. He finished his room! Mostly. He still needs to make a vent cover and nightstands. But it’s looking lovely and ready to show off! As many of you know, pretty much anything with wood in our house was made by Dad. His room is no exception. Most of the wood (cabinets, bed, etc.) is pecan from the Trinity river basin that was super rough. He planed it into usable boards and built/stained/etc. everything. The ceiling has MDF that he painted. He even made the doors. Also, he sewed the curtains himself a while back, but they’ll eventually be replaced by shutters when he makes those. He put up the grasscloth wallpaper and the mural too. Basically, he designed, built, and/or installed everything himself. Just wanted to let you all know how talented he is and show off his room. As always, feel free to comment or ask questions or whatever here or on my social media pages!

A Box of Maine

~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Howdy, howdy! How’s everyone today? I’m still being lazy and avoiding productive things by doing other (sometimes) productive things. As I’m writing this, I’m also getting ready to fill out Christmas cards. I know it’s a little late for that, but I originally wasn’t going to do it at all. Then, I was just going to do three for special people. In the end, I made Dad sit and fill out 48 of them with me. Yeah. Since I wrote the first few sentences of this post, I wasted two and half hours getting infested with glitter in the name of not completely failing as a human this year. Go me! But anyway. A couple of days ago, I received a gift from my friend Enza. She got me a Box of Maine! So, I’m going to spend this post rambling about the box and how much I miss Maine. You have been warned.

Not my box. Just an example borrowed from Google.

The box contained two whoopie pies (chocolate and maple), coffee, mustard, clam chowder, a Maine Woods candle, blueberry soap, blueberry pancake mix, popcorn, a Moxie bandana, a little balsam fir pillow, and a decal that says “The Way Life Should Be” followed by “Maine.” I’ve already eaten the maple whoopie pie (yes, I shared it with Dad). Despite some shipping issues, it was still moist and tender and absolutely delicious. I’m looking forward to the regular whoopie pie. I can’t wait to dig into the rest of the stuff. Enza also sent some Moxie too! It’s definitely an acquired taste. I wasn’t entirely sure how I felt about it when I first tried it up in Maine, but over the years it’s grown on me.

I love my box, but now I miss Maine. The people were always friendly. I miss lobster rolls and bisque and fried clams and blueberry soda and everything else. I miss the Harraseeket Inn and Broad Arrow Tavern. I even miss the fancy McDonald’s. We never did get the chance to visit the desert of Maine or check out Bangor or do a bunch of other things. I never had the chance to eat fresh strawberries from a roadside stand because Dad ate them all while I was in class (dick move, right? And yes, he’s reading this, so he knows I just called him a dick), then he went on about how they were the best he’s ever eaten. He still talks about them. And, of course, the stand was always closed when we drove by after that. Don’t get me wrong. Maine isn’t perfect. I know. I’m not idealizing it. For one thing, accessibility is horrible up there compared to down here. But I love it, flaws and all.

Maybe one day, if the plague ever ends or the vaccines prove to be effective, we’ll make it back up to Maine. Maybe we’ll be able to spend a month or so up there just exploring and catching up with people from Stonecoast. I’ve been in the house for the better part of a year, so even an introvert like me can dream of getting out and doing things. Until then, at least I have my Box of Maine. Thanks again, Enza!

It’s a McDonald’s!!! So fancy. Right across the street from the Harraseeket Inn.

What about you? Are there any places you’re missing? What do you miss about them? As always, feel free to share your thoughts or comments here or on my social media pages!

Shameless Plug for Myself and Pseudopod

~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Hello, hello! How is everyone doing today? I have nothing to ramble about, so here’s a short post for the sole purpose of shameless self-promotion. As some of you know, I’m one of an amazing team of first readers for the wonderfully horror-filled podcast Pseudopod. In this past Friday’s (Dec. 4th) episode, I was lucky enough to write a review of The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy and Horror: Volume One (edited by Paula Guran). The review is at the end of episode 734, after the delightfully creepy story “Anatomist” by Couri Johnson and a review by Kitty Sarkozy of Couri Johnson’s collection I’ll Tell You a Love Story. I’m not one for reading out loud, so Graeme Dunlop narrated my review. You can listen pretty much anywhere you stream your favorite podcasts or you can go here! My review is near the end, so be sure to listen to the whole episode. And tune into episode 736 on December 18th for another review by me after a great story by Lee Murray.

The Bracelet

~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Hello, hello! And welcome to December! Didn’t November start like two days ago? How is it already over? I’m really struggling to find the motivation to be productive. Needless to say, my writing goals will not be met this year, even if I manage to write every day until January. Don’t get me wrong. My word count for the year (thus far) isn’t too shabby, I just haven’t finished the first draft of DS2 yet. But my reading goals have been surpassed, so at least there’s that. Crochet is done in random spurts, so I’m super behind on that too. Submissions and queries are still going out regularly. I missed two weeks because I am a lazy bum, but I caught up by sending out extras this week. So, that’s where I am at the start of December. Now, I have to write an actual blog post for you. Luckily, the gift I bought myself arrived recently, so I’m going to show it off with a little review!

Just a nice picture I borrowed from Google.

As some of you know, I actually bought something for myself that wasn’t a book, food, or something I needed. Like many people, I constantly look at pretty things and declare my love for them (and I don’t just mean pretty people, I do it with objects too), but rarely buy the objects (I don’t pay for pretty people either because I don’t have an OnlyFans account). Anyway, when I do talk myself into buying something, it’s like pulling teeth. This was no exception.

I was scrolling through some of the crochet pages I stalk on Facebook when I came across a gorgeous choker (those necklaces that fit snugly around the throat). It was thin silver wire that had been crocheted and moonstone with a wire tree wrapped around it. I can’t wear chokers, but I still wanted it, so I asked if the creator had a website. That led me to Jessy Herc’s Etsy page. There are so many pretties on there! Everything from chokers to pendants to rings to armbands. She even has bracelets. I tend to avoid buying everything except pendants because I’m super tiny, so rings and bracelets and stuff like that tends to fall right off me unless I get them customized. But I fell in love with a particular bracelet and a lot of the reviews said her bracelets run small, so I talked myself into spending the money.

My pictures don’t do it justice.

And I’m so glad I did! It fits my tiny wrist perfectly and the band is stretchy, so Dad (and his big fingers) can get it clasped easy enough. The labradorite is so shiny and pretty. It’s mostly green with a gold sheen and hints of blue. I haven’t taken it out in the sun yet, so I don’t know if any other colors will make an appearance. The copper wire is a lovely contrast to the stone and beads. The design is intricate and the craftsmanship is wonderful. I’m so happy with the piece. I have nowhere to wear it right now, but maybe one day the plague will be under control and I’ll be able to leave the house again. Until then, I can admire my little tree (I’m calling it Yggdrasil) on my own.

Me. Because I’m too lazy to find a meme or something that fits here.

Have you recently splurged and bought yourself something pretty? Is there anything you’re considering buying? As always, feel free to tell me about it or share your thoughts and comments here or on my social media pages!